1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an amphibian delta wing jet aircraft which is convertible between an airplane form, a watercraft form and land vehicle form.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous innovations for a variety of multi-medium crafts have been provided in the prior art that will be described. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, accordingly they differ from the present invention.
A FIRST EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,679 to Smethers, Jr. teaches a water-based aircraft, either a flying boat or amphibian, features a catamaran hull blended with a wide fuselage. The resultant lateral stability in the water permits elimination of the traditional tip floats. Three engines, mounted two above the wing and one above the fuselage, minimize spray ingestion and engine-out directional stability problems both in the air and on the water. A V-tail is employed with the angle of attachment essentially bisecting the angularity between the wing and fuselage engine, thus avoiding jet engine efflux and effectively providing a high tail free of spray impingement. The V-tail is attached to twin boom fuselage extensions, which configuration also permits the spray (“rooster tail”) thrown by the hulls to pass freely without impingement. Hydrofoils facilitate takeoffs and landings.
A SECOND EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,297 to Ayoola teaches Air, Land and Sea vehicle is convertible between aircraft form, road vehicle form and boat form. The conversion between aircraft form and road vehicle forms having (4) four tires as an automobile as well as a roadable vehicle structure that are movable outwardly for highway usage, and inwardly into stored position for the aircraft form or boat form, and having storage for the wing and tail assemblies which has a foldable section for this purpose. For conversion between aircraft form and board forms, the apparatus has a retractable or extendable water propeller as propelling means in the water, and parts arranged for steering. The wings and tail assemblies are moved inwardly into stored position including auto and aero tires moved inwardly into their water-leak-proof compartments. The conversion between boat form and aircraft forms having wings and tail assemblies as well as propelling structures that are movable outwardly for the flying form including winglifter to lift the wings upwardly for the sufficient clearance between the wing-level and the water-level in order to accommodate sufficient relative wind to propel the invention as a lift means, during water takeoff. The water-rudder will maintain a straight forward movement. The auto and aero engines operate until the invention takes off on the water, then, the automobile engine must be turned off. The water-propeller and rudder move inwardly into their compartments respectively.
A THIRD EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,265 to Lane teaches a thrust collar is disclosed for mounting around the upper portion of the propeller of an inboard/outboard engine. Each thrust collar supports a horizontal hydrofoil wing extending laterally from the collar. A second, similar wing can be provided on an opposing side of the collar. Where the collar is used in pairs on paired engines on a catamaran hull, a single hydrofoil wing can be supported between the thrust collars. The thrust collar is preferably used in conjunction with hull lifting structures. One hull mounted hydrofoil structure is supported at the lower end of the strut extending and includes a generally curvilinear gull-wing shaped lower surface. For V-type hulls, a pair of elongated mechanical lifting structures, symmetrically positioned on either side of the keel substantially in the vicinity of the keel are attached to the hull so as to extend generally traversedly to the sloping side surfaces of the hull intersecting at the keel. These lifting structures have a length many times greater than their maximum transverse dimension and preferably extend from a position approximately at midship beneath the hull to the stern of the hull. Retractable hydrofoil assemblies are described for drawing a strut supporting a hydrofoil wing into a boat or routing the strut upward into a tunnel beneath the boat in the case of a catamaran hull.
A FOURTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 6,343,964 B1 to Lane teaches a jet powered boat may be provided with a water monitor for fire fighting purposes. The conduit for the monitor is connected to an opening through the bottom of the hull to draw water vertically from beneath the hull. Two motors are provided in the boat. One motor is configured to propel water through the monitor conduit to the water monitor. The other motor is configured to propel water through a propulsion jet at the rear of the boat. In one embodiment, a second propulsion jet is provided at the rear of the boat, connected to the conduit for the water monitor. A baffle at the intersection of the second propulsion jet and the monitor conduit may be operated to selectively direct water to either the monitor or the propulsion jet. In this embodiment, the two motors may be placed symmetrically on either side of the longitudinal centerline of the boat. In another embodiment, in which one motor exclusively supplies water to the water monitor (without the second propulsion jet), the two motors may be placed fore and aft along the centerline of the boat. The hull of the jet powered boat is shaped with progressively shallower segments of the hull bottom spaced farther from the hull centerline to provide the directional stability of a “V” shape near the centerline, with a relatively flat shape near the sides of the hull for lateral stability. Debris screens may selectively be placed in the water intake openings through the hull to block pump-damaging debris.
A FIFTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0162498 A1 to Robinson et al. teaches a watercraft constructed according to the invention includes at least one hull according to the invention described in the grandparent and great-grandparent patent applications that issued as U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,314,903 and 6,250,245, which hull includes first and second channel defining structures connected to the hull that define a first channel on a port side of the hull with a forwardly facing first channel entrance and a second channel on a starboard side of the hull with a second forwardly facing channel entrance According to one aspect of the invention, the hull has a bow that extends to a vertical knife edge, and the first and second wing channel entrances are arranged to form a near horizontal knife edge at the deck level in order to enhance high speed operations. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an onboard air system for injecting air into the first and second channels in order to enhance high speed operation of the watercraft. The air system may include a blower powered by an on-deck auxiliary power unit, a blower powered by a main drive diesel or gas turbine, or components that divert exhaust from a jet engine main drive.
A SIXTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,419 B1 to Bussard teaches a monohull keel sail boat is provided with a bow foil structure, a keel foil structure and a stern foil structure. The bow, keel and stern foil structures have foils which may be moved to provide a variable angle of attack and thus variable lifting forces. The stern foil structure has a ladder foil arrangement and includes vertical struts to provide steering control thus replacing a conventional rudder. The three foil structures work in concert to lift the hull of the boat, but not the keel, completely out of the water so as to provide near listless sailing.
A SEVENTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,903 B2 to Robinson et al. teaches a watercraft constructed according to the invention includes at least one hull according to the invention described in the grandparent and great-grandparent patent applications that issued as U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,314,903 and 6,250,245, which hull includes first and second channel defining structures connected to the hull that define a first channel on a port side of the hull with a forwardly facing first channel entrance and a second channel on a starboard side of the hull with a second forwardly facing channel entrance. According to one aspect of the invention, the hull has a bow that extends to a vertical knife edge, and the first and second wing channel entrances are arranged to form a near horizontal knife edge at the deck level in order to enhance high speed operations. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an onboard air system for injecting air into the first and second channels in order to enhance high speed operation of the watercraft. The air system may include a blower powered by an on-deck auxiliary power unit, a blower powered by a main drive diesel or gas turbine, components that divert excess air from a main drive gas turbine, or components that divert exhaust from a jet engine main drive.
AN EIGHTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0139101 A1 to Mardikian teaches a boat has one or more jet pumps with appropriate water intakes and jet nozzles to drive the boat and one or more outboard motors to drive the boat. The boat may also have one or more hydroplane fins allowing the hull of the boat to be lifted out of the water for fast hydroplaning motion. The hydroplane fins are extendable and retractable and the one or more jet pumps and/or outboard motors are movably mounted and can be lowered so as to be disposed below the water level in efficient operating position even when the hydroplane fins are extended and the hull of the boar is lifted out of the water for fast hydroplaning motion.